Grandpa
by mmok
Summary: Later, Minato would come back to his wife, awaiting him with a half-angry gaze for him to have wandered away so suddenly and irresponsibly. In spite of his wife's ire, the moment Minato set eyes on the striking red hair he leapt off and embraced the other in a tight hug, bewildering the other with his actions. "D-Dear?" "He called me grandpa!"


Boruto was perching on the swing nearby the ninja school, his face downcast to the ground as he silently let out the annoyance that had been piling up the past week.

Being the six years old that he was, Boruto knew as a fact that every father of a child of his age should spend the day with his children, be it playing or showing some awesome tricks that only adults knew how to do.

Granted, Himawari was on the same spot as him when it came to the lack of the daily helping of a blond parent that acclaimed to be 'the best dad ever', and so was Sarada, but his sister was more attached to mum at this point and the Uchiha was stone. Hard to break stone, and not even speaking about how mean things would get when both of them crossed paths.

"Best dad ever my butt..." He mutters under his breath, feeling the itchy water that began to well up around his eyes.

"What's wrong, youngster? Have you lost sight of your parents?"

Surprised by the sudden close voice, Boruto immediately turned to the opposite side and quickly wiped his tears (that weren't tears, since they did not fall down his face...He was _not_ a crybaby).

"Youngster?" The man with a rather soft and endearing in a strange way of feeling voice was still there, to which Boruto didn't know how to react because on one hand, he wanted company and this stranger proved to be material for a very good one (though no more than a minute passed when he took notice of his presence) but on the other hand... he had been seen openly crying. Not that he was crying for real, but the other may have gotten the wrong idea.

"Go away..." He speaks quietly, surprised at the low tone of his normally boisterous voice.

...

Flop!

Boruto turns around surprised at the sudden noise, and his jaw goes slack when the stranger man decided to settled down on the ground with his legs crossed, smiling at him with gentle eyes, that the blond would swear to have seen a reflection of his own.

"M-Mister?!" Boruto exclaims, bewildered at the action.

The blond mister turned his head towards him, then smiled softly as he was dealing with a baby.

His brows frown at the recent revelation.

"Mister, you don't need to watch over me! I am not lost!"

"Nobody said you were, youngster. I merely decided to keep you company."

Boruto's head swirls around the complicated words and sophisticated speaking, though he couldn't deny the stranger's presence.

Looking at him, his form seemed to almost blend in with the shadows of the tree, almost as if he was going to disappear if he decided to look away for more than a second.

...

"So I've heard you've been discontent with your parents."

"You too?" He pipes up suddenly, glad to have found a fellow who could understand him.

Their age differences may be big, but the village children often want to play with dad so it didn't matter... "Oh, no. My parents were wonderful people. I just have a very troublesome son."

Boruto tilts his head to a side, when the stranger smiles big at the mention of his son.

"Really?" He asks unconvinced.

The other giggles, then grins at him as if he hadn't just insulted his own son, reaching up a hand and leaning forward to ruffle his hair.

The touch felt considerably light. Though it still could be felt, the fingers that ran through his hair held a fresh feathery touch.

"Yup! He always causes troubles and mischiefs to other people. He also isn't that great at studies and still boasts off like he was the greatest."

Boruto's eyes dim in pity.

"Such bad son." The mister laughs.

"Right?... Is your dad as troublesome too?"

"Eh?" Boruto gasps in surprise at the question, then silents himself to think about it.

Sure dad was absent but when he spent time with them, he was always there for their needs. But even if being Hokage was his job, it still meant he could take away some time for him and Himawari right? But then mum wouldn't have married dad if she didn't know that dad was a good man, since mum is always right...

Finally, he shakes his head.

"No... Dad is pretty great, but I just wished he wasn't Hokage."

The older blond smiles, though it's relatively smaller and less brighter than before.

"It's fine isn't it?"

"Eh?"

"I said it's fine to think like that. My son also wants to become Hokage, and it's good and cool but it's a dangerous job. Thousands would target your head and you've got twice as that to protect with your hands."

He turns around when he hears sniffing before looking away, mindful of the other's futile attempts of making it stop, though he still leans a hand to soothe his head.

"P-Pap-Papa will... d-die?!"

The other takes Boruto by his arms while the child cried openly now, settling his head on the soft tuft of hair as his hand soothed his back in circles.

"I never said that. Your father is Hokage because he's the strongest and people trust his strength to protect. Though it's a dangerous job, your father was fully aware of it and yet accepted because it was his dream right?"

"Hm-hm."

"And besides, your dad is a lot smarter than me."

His blue eyes look into the child when he raises up his head in question.

He internally laughs, since as it seems the other didn't hold his father much in terms of intellectualness.

"Your father tries twice as hard to come home right? I'm sure that once he realized his own role as a parent, he began to be more careful so he makes sure he comes back to you two. Is your father that kind of person?"

Boruto didn't need to think a second more to answer.

"Yep! Dad comes home late, but he always come back!"

The older blond's eyes widen in surprise at the sheer trust and conviction that those clear eyes held, as if he truly believed that the Hokage's intentions were the best even if he complained about them.

"See? Then it's fine isn't it? It's fine if you don't want your father to be Hokage, and it's also fine if he still is. Your father is Hokage to protect his people, but then he's also the strongest to protect his family... Though you could still give him a good whack for neglecting his time with his children."

Boruto giggles childishly. "No! He would chase me down and then beat my butt!"

He laughs in return. "That he would... I must go now. You should return too. Someone very close to you is searching for you."

"Eh? Who? Wait! Who are you, mister?"

"... I am Minato. Though I am already old enough to not be a mister anymore."

Boruto gasps in surprise. "No way! You're a grandpa?"

Minato recoils a bit at the word, but then grins and finds himself turning warmer than it would be considered conceivably acceptable for a mere physical manifestation.

"Yeah... A grandpa."

Minato disappears and lets the wind carry him away as he stared at Boruto's glistening eyes until it ended.

At the very last moment he hears a loud, boisterous voice calling his grandson's name as he smiles a smile of his own.

Hokage or not, only his son would run here screaming his lungs out while looking the most ridiculous with that sleep-deprived and worried filled expression, a couple of shinobi on his tail for running away from his duties and the bystanders smiling in fondness at his antics- if it was just to hurry to his son who was seen crying with a suspicious man besides him.

Though he was slightly insulted for being recognized as a suspicious man, Minato left all the same thinking how blessed of a father and grandfather he had been granted to be.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own** **Naruto.**

 **A/N: I've only recently watched the The Last Naruto The Movie, and despite its undoubtedly cringeworthy shoujo moments, I really loved the art and the fluid motions as well as the tiny bonus at the end.**

 **The Franchise had been one of the pillars of my childhood as well as for many others, and even if the anime contains so many fillers, I know I would end up appreciating all of them in the end.**


End file.
